Lifting weight helps beat depression, new study suggests

Having an exercise routine is important for bodily health, as it has been proven that adding muscle tone helps to decrease injury risk and improve bone health.

However, new scientific evidence suggests that regular strength training may also ward off and fight symptoms of depression.Brett Gordon from Limeric University in Ireland has conducted a study on 2,000 participants who are suffering from depression as well as with those who have no mental illnesses.

The study showed that the effects of depression decrease in those who lift weights and do strength exercises. Gordon's study also demonstrated that participants who exercise feel better and blood circulation in their body improved.

The results were significant even when the researchers controlled for age, gender or improvements in muscle mass; thus, even participants who saw few physical changes from strength training still tended to see improvements in mood.The results of the study are published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Psychiatry.